Brain's frontal lobe electrical activity may be disrupted due to COVID-19
COVID-19 Neurological Symptoms and EEG Abnormalities
A review of various studies suggests that a significant number of patients with severe COVID-19 may experience neurological symptoms, including abnormalities detected by electroencephalography (EEG) tests.
Approximately 15-25% of patients with severe COVID-19 may experience neurological symptoms, such as headaches, confusion, impaired consciousness, seizures, and strokes. For those exhibiting such symptoms, doctors may refer them for an EEG test, where electrodes are placed on the scalp to monitor the electrical activity of the brain.
To further understand how COVID-19 affects the brain, researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh analyzed EEG results from 617 patients from 84 separate studies. The median age of these patients was 61.3 years, with two-thirds being male.
The researchers found that the most common discoveries were slowing brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges. Notably, the extent of these EEG abnormalities positively correlated with the disease's severity and any pre-existing neurological conditions like epilepsy.
One third of the abnormal findings were found in the frontal lobes of the brain, leading researchers to speculate that this might be due to the virus's most likely entry point—the nose—being situated near these areas. However, it's important to note that the virus may not be solely responsible for all the damage; systemic effects of the infection, such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, and cardiac arrest, may contribute to EEG abnormalities.
Researchers identified "diffuse slowing" in the background electrical activity of the whole brain in almost 70% of patients, raising concerns about potential long-term consequences. Some individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 report ongoing health problems, now referred to as 'long COVID', which include issues like "brain fog."
A recent study found that individuals who claim to have had COVID-19 performed less well on an online cognitive test compared to those who didn't believe they contracted the virus. While this study doesn't conclusively prove that the infection causes long-term cognitive decline, it brings attention to lingering brain concerns.
"The findings from this study support the idea that there might be long-term issues that we hadn't previously considered," says Dr. Zulfi Haneef, an assistant professor of neurology at Baylor College of Medicine. He encourages the use of EEG and other brain imaging techniques, like MRI or CT scans, to further investigate the potential neurological effects of COVID-19.
It's worth noting that the research has some limitations, such as the lack of access to individual study data and the potential underreporting of normal EEGs. Furthermore, doctors may have administered anti-seizure drugs to suspected seizure patients, which could potentially obscure signs of seizures in EEG traces.
As the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 continue to evolve, further research is needed to better understand the potential neurological consequences and develop effective management strategies.
[Sources: Baylor College of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy]
- Severe COVID-19 patients, particularly those with pre-existing neurological conditions such as epilepsy, may display EEG abnormalities, such as slowing brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges, which could have long-term implications.
- COVID-19 neurological symptoms, including seizures, strokes, and abnormalities detected by EEG tests, are of concern in the health-and-wellness community, especially as researchers discover potential links to long-term cognitive decline.
- In their analysis of EEG results from 617 patients, researchers found "diffuse slowing" in the background electrical activity of the whole brain in almost 70% of patients, raising concerns about the potential long-term neurological effects of COVID-19, particularly in relation to medical-conditions like seizures and neurological disorders.
